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Small plane crash-lands in Bakersfield; no injuries

by AP

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Authorities say a small airplane ran out of gas and crash-landed on a Central California runway blocked by construction equipment.

The Bakersfield Police Department reported Friday that the pilot, 67-year-old William Newsom of Nevada City, was not hurt in the emergency landing at the Bakersfield Air Park.

Officials say Newsom was flying solo in his single-engine plane headed south to Los Angeles when he noticed he was low on fuel.

The pilot told officials he feared flying over a populated area to reach another runway. He chose the one in Bakersfield even though there was equipment blocking two-thirds of its length, leaving little room to land.

The plane came to a rest after hitting a chain link fence at the runway's end.